Save your sanity, time & money!

You need to know how to meet your medical and/or mental health needs NOW. You're struggling to survive moment by moment. And you need your dignity.

You're rushing to appointments (the ones you remembered) and/or wondering which treatment to use. Meanwhile, your costs are rising, your needs are changing and you hardly know how to make sense of what to do first, second and later. What about the emotions boiling inside you? How can you calm down with all that's going on?

A former medical coder and medical writer, I've been in your position. I survived a life-threatening emergency with information only a person with my professional experience would know: How to find medical innovators, medical experts and charitable organizations willing to pay part or all of an applicant's specific medical costs, who has software to simplify medical appointment scheduling, a sensible list of items to pack for hospital stays, and more.

I knew that I'd pulled through because of my ability to connect with resources I needed. I knew that most patients lack that knowledge. I decided to provide it, to minimize your suffering.

I believe in empowering terrified, confused and unhappy people with dire diagnoses. I believe that patients should not suffer insults to their dignity in medical settings. I provide information that can help you to manage your problems better, maybe to end them, in the book.

Calm down. Organize your life better. You just might get your grin back.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

I've just learned that the head of Gevuras Yarden -Jewish Caring Network, a charitable organization, bought several copies of my book. Why did she do that? To help her clients to cope with the emotional pain of facing serious illness.

There's a reason that medical and mental health professionals recommend

It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that

Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Here's what some of them say about it (one shrink even gives copies to his colleagues!):

"I’ve given Yocheved’s book to therapists and to patients on chemotherapy. They found it very helpful.” - Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., Gateways Addiction Rehabilitation Founder and Therapist.

“Read it!” Rabbi Lazer Brody

"... a toolbox for transforming an onslaught of negative emotions into positive ones... practical, spiritual advice to those whose prognosis may be grim... Yocheved also counsels that we use tears to do more than simply wallow in self-pity. We can use them to open the Gates of Prayer." Dr. Lisa Aiken, psychologist

To your improving mental/emotional health,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

You can bet that this guy's parents are pleased to have sent him to medical school. One doctor has figured out how to prevent Heart Attacks, Migraines and Epileptic seizures. He even has techniques for reducing the problems of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Medical Malpractice Lawsuits (funny how those words fit into one compact sentence. Sensibly...). Click on the video below to learn about all this, and how you could benefit, in very understandable language.

Imagine if you had already bought my book, learned how to get in on clinical trials and benefitted from any one of these inventions by now.

Hmmm, perhaps you can benefit from future clinical trials that concern your medical issues. BUY It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need to TODAY! CLICK HERE and find out why it's A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

To your good health,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Monday, August 25, 2008

The word alone makes people cringe in pain. Loss of time at work, with family and friends, and from cheerful sunshine make migraine sufferers suffer even more.

An Israeli company named Occiflex came up with an innovative way to get you out of pain and back out of the darkened room that soothes your strained eyes. Occiflex can even soothe your sore neck muscles.

Want to find more leads about medical relief, including how to get in on FREE medical trials? CLICK THIS LINK to BUY YOUR COPY of It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Want the information FAST? Buy the book from my publisher when you CLICK HERE

.

To your improving health,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

My schedule is filled with callers and in-office clients seeking my advice on how they can heal with natural dieting and lifestyle practices. According to this Gallup Poll MORE AMERICANS STRUGGLING THAN SIX MONTHS AGO, the phenomenon should be no surprise.

It's a BIG switch from the days when people scoffed at natural lifestyle practices, assuming only that odd people ate pesticide-free produce, sugar-free snacks and pure water, juice or tea. Maybe the failing American economy has at least one blessing in it: forcing people to eat healthier fare so they can avoid high hospital bills that they can't afford!

America's mainstream media and international information sources are filling with ever-more information about how the simple life is better for your body.

BUY MY BOOK to get some terrific tips on improving your health. Body and soul can benefit when you do!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

1. My colleague Star Lawrence had an interesting post on her health-oriented blog yesterday. SeeTraveling With Medicationfor some intelligent advice. And note the ideas I posted on the COMMENTS section:

I recommend making photocopies of

each prescription BEFORE you take them to pharmacists.

The doctor's contact info can be scribbled in along the margin (NOT for the customs clerk's benefit. That's for YOUR benefit)

or on the back of each photocopy.

Do the same thing for your eyewear (glasses, contact lenses, prescription sunglasses).

2. Today's news sites and news shows are full of dire warnings about Diabetes and Arsenic. I want to clarify some facts for you: You need to distinguish between INorganic Arsenic (dangerous) and ORGANIC Arsenic (safe).

Contaminated drinking water is only one source of INorganic Arsenic. Foods such as flour and rice can also hold small quantities of INorganic arsenic, especially when they're grown or cooked in areas with arsenic-loaded soil or water.

What can you SAFELY dine on? Seafood, including sushi and other leafy foods from the ocean such as Arame, Kelp, Kombu, Laver, Nori, Spirulina, and Wakame.

Seafood is a source of ORGANIC (safe) Arsenic compounds with little or no toxicity.

Enjoy your vacation and delicious nutrition in the best possible health. A refreshing break from the daily routine can be a blessing.

To your good health, wherever you may be,

Yocheved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

You're already aware that the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research selected my book (among others) as "Recommended Reading." Now it's holding a contest among all its competing titles. The winner could get FREE publicity at Amazon.com, so PUH-LEEZ put my book into 1st Place!

I've offered advice in my book and on this blog about how to cope with the rush of details and unwanted news. Today I'll let you in on a newly understood mystery of the brain: it stores different kinds of memory in vastly different areas. Ahhh, that's why we find it challenging to remember lots and lots of details! We need to look in the right storage area!

Johns Hopkins researcher Susan Courtney, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, learned that the RULES which people must actively remember - stuff that's NOT part of our everyday habits - are controlled primarily through the prefrontal cortex, which is in the very front of the brain, beneath the forehead.

A different part of the brain - the parietal cortex, which is near the back of the head - becomes more active when people need to memorize FACTS (including rapidly changing facts).

"This discovery may eventually lead to enhanced understanding of... conditions in which a person's ability to remember and change such rules is impaired," said Courtney, lead author of a paper in a recent issue of Neuron. "... different parts of our brains store different kinds of memories and information." That, she said, "provides clues about how the human brain accomplishes complex, goal-directed behaviors that require remembering and changing abstract rules, an ability that is disrupted in many mental illnesses."

Caroline Montojo, a graduate student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, co-authored this study. Learn more about it when you CLICK HERE.

Don't whirl around in circles seeking the part of your brain that stored some fact or other. Read my book to learn coping strategies for keeping your medical and other details straight. CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR COPY TODAY!

Friday, August 15, 2008

My dear friend Rabbi Lazer Brody has this terrific video on his site, today. It beautifully illustrates some nutritional and GODLY wisdom. Bear in mind that GOD made foods look appealing so we'd be tempted to eat them - according to His rules ;^ )

Having read my book and by visiting this blog, you're aware that in 2005 I learned of the Petroclival Tentorial Meningioma, a benign skull-based tumor, crushing every nerve entering my head from my spine. Only one doctor in Israel was courageous, qualified and skilled enough to remove the life-threatening growth without killing me on the operating table.

But he was concerned that the remnant of a second tumor (discovered during surgery and a surprise to all concerned) that he'd intentionally left inside, and the trauma of the entire episode, could harm me with decreasingly poor vision and declining health lifelong (total removal of that unexpected 2nd tumor would have immediately ended my life) .

Some specialists feared I would go irreversibly blind within months of August 2005 surgery, despite the total removal of the first tumor and removal of most of the second tumor.

So, I endured a three-year-long series of follow-up exams by various specialists. Those doctors are baffled at my recovery, let alone my achievements, but reluctant to discuss them with me. Why?

They're aware that I became an organic RAW FOODS vegetarian who also dines on what are known as "Super Foods" (Maca, Camu Camu, Goji Berries, Spirulina, etc.), herbal teas, natural juices without added sugar, and lots of pure water.

The phenomenal healing of my scars is another story. The surgeon can't detect the surgical site on MRI or with his hands! More exciting than that, I do not suffer cognitive deficits despite horrific damage from the tumors and their surgical removal. The damage healed against medical expectations (they're still looking on the MRI's for my 2nd tumor, which was probably destroyed as I healed overall). When we spoke at my most recent neurological exam this past week, my neurosurgeon said, "You've healed amazingly well. Amazing..."

Surgery on my dominant arm in January 2008 repaired damage from a fracture following an accident. The lead surgeon later informed me that the whole surgical team was SHOCKED to see the healthy condition of my other bones and muscles once they'd opened my arm! They sent for a nurse acquainted with me, to run a facial-identification check IN THE MIDDLE OF SURGERY, to make sure they weren't operating on the wrong patient! BTW, the doctor told me that my bones and muscles are in the condition of a woman HALF my age! No way am I at risk for osteoporosis!

Whenever I broach the topic of my natural healing strategies with my medical team, the chatty doctors become oddly silent. They're confused between what they learned at medical school and the evidence of my recovery.

I'm one of an increasing number of people healing against the odds thanks to HaShem's (GOD) natural pharmacy: pure food and water, adequate rest, optimism, tefila (prayer) and sunshine. The day will come when the Western medical world will acknowledge the healing power of natural strategies. The Tuv HaBorei (Compassionate Creator) provided them. And they're healing far too many people to be overlooked. You could become one of them!

Have a healthier rest of your life when you indulge in the nutritional treats for body and soul in the above video, and other body-building, body-healing foods.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

One of my friends asked me to share the following thought with you because she and other people feel inspired when I share it aloud every so often: I'm healing because I'm doing good things for myself.

Yes, I've become an organic foods diner. Yes I work out increasingly harder as my body permits. Yes I receive Cranio Sacral Therapy. Yes I do EFT work. Yes I practice what I preach in terms of good mental health. Yes I pray incessantly. Yes I reach for friends and YES I do favors for them, too. And I work at smiling all day long. It cheers up whomever sees me grinning, and I feel better for it, too.

And NO, I cannot pin down my healing/coping successes on one particular strategy. ALL my strategies work as One BIG Strategy combined!

Unlike that once-popular slogan asking people to "Commit Random Acts of Kindness," I practice Focused Acts of Kindness: On myself, and on others.

Randomness is not a virtue. Focus is a virtue and it pays worthwhile dividends. Aim your mind at your medical challenges and practice coming up with solutions to them. Consider how you can ease the pressure on those around you, especially on the people caring for you in many different ways.

There's a reason that I'm welcome whenever I visit with friends or run into them by chance. People know that I'm aiming for better than my present situation and/or theirs. And I constantly try to put everyone concerned at ease.

Opera singer Beverly Sills once explained to a reporter she retained her beautiful smile despite many hardships in her life, "I have a cheerfulness habit. Even if I don't feel happy inside, I can behave pleasantly on the outside."

Imagine how well that attitude served her as life dished out its hardships. The same attitude can do wonders for you, too.

I heard Miss Sills say the above on radio, when I was a girl. It launched my lifelong drive to remain pleasant no matter what I have to face. And I've faced lots of hardship with my medical history.

So do you.

Mimic me and many of the tricks of the cheerfulness trade that I've learned over time. Read my book and learn all about them. Some tips will make you shake with laughter, others will prompt you to sit quietly and contemplate a bit of profound wisdom. The quotes in my book cover centuries' worth of good attitudes from diverse public figures.

I might just include some of the marvelously intelligent remarks by recently deceased Professor Randy Pausch in my next book (in progress for months). CLICK HERE

for a focused look at his life.

To your improving mindset,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Yesterday I tested my recommendations for going outdoors, getting sunshine and moving around. I wanted to be sure that a particularly fun activity can be accomplished with readers who cannot easily move by themselves.

I went body surfing.

It was fun. And to make sure that someone with limited to no range of motion can do it, I tested out some equipment and the willing hands of friends. It is indeed safe and doable to enjoy gentle waves when trustworthy people secure you atop an inflatable water mattress, sturdy inner tube (flotation ring) and inside an inflatable air flotation vest.

The safety precautions above are absolutely necessary. So are strong, trustworthy people who will hold onto the floating person and the device they're using.

Stay in GENTLE SURF only. Strong waves can knock over anybody, let alone someone with limited movements. And a faceful of salt water can be intimidating if not dangerous to anyone with breathing problems.

Ask your physical/occupational therapists for more sun and surf coping strategies. Inform the lifeguards of what you're doing, and seize the day. If you can, watch the sun rise or set from shore. The scenery can energize you!

CLICK HERE to buy my book. Learn how to have other safe forms of fun that refresh the body and the spirit. You need both to help you to cope with medical crises and challenges ;^ )

To your growing sense of happiness,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Big news from today's edition of Archives of Internal Medicine: body size is not necessarily a good indicator of how healthy someone might be. Good living habits help a lot!

Here's what is likely to be confusing news for many of my readers: A new study concluded that overweight and obese adults in the "healthy" category tended to have smaller waists than people with at least two risk factors. But hang on, the news gets cheerier...

What are those risk factors the scientists are concerned about? Elevated blood pressure, cholesterol and other "unspecified" factors.

Those "risk factors" can be tamed, even ended, rather simply. Read on.

Those risk factors were more common for study participants with healthy weight AND with larger waists or potbellies than folks in the other group. Bigger bellies often signal internal fat deposits surrounding abdominal organs. Previous research has shown that to be especially risky.

If you're on the heavier side of the scale but not experiencing high blood pressure or high cholesterol and other "unspecified" risk factors, you're likely to be in better health than your neighbors in different circumstance.

Want to stay Heart Healthy? The study showed that in all weight categories, risk factors for heart problems were generally more common in older people, smokers and inactive people. Among obese people ages 50 to 64, just 20 percent were considered healthy compared with half of younger obese people.

Please. Take the advice I've been offering recently: get outdoors for limited amounts of time, lose some weight (only a pound at a time. Don't make this harder by forcing unrealistic expectations into your diet plan), and move around. Climb stairs instead of using elevators, talk pleasant strolls, do some windowsill gardening if you can't start an outdoors garden, and stop smoking (get professional help if necessary).

Making changes in your health habits takes Commitment, Discipline and Consistency (take that redux of your initials, Centers for Disease Control!). My book can certainly help you with that!

World-famous psychiatrist Dr. A. Twerski tells me that "Addicts and people on chemotherapy need [him] less" after he gives them copies of my book. "They simply do better after reading It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge!" he says.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The big news in the medical world today is that YOU need Vitamin D! Without enough, your risk of death rises 26 per cent!

Keep your hard-earned money in your wallet - DO NOT rush out to buy Vitamin D supplements. Simply get out in the sunshine for 15 minutes or so daily.

Want other sources of natural, affordable Vitamin D?

DARK GREEN VEGETABLES are brimming with Vitamin D (and iron, too!).

FISH from ALASKAN or NORWEGIAN waters (rather than fish from other waters, to minimize the chances of swallowing parasites or their eggs - they can survive the cooking process. READ MY BOOKto learn about how I rid myself of that yukky problem. sigh... it's one of the less glamorous parts of being a professional writer...)

and LIVER (I recommend meats from organically grown/fed animals for the same reason).

How good is Vitamin D for human bodies? It can PREVENT osteoporosis, depression, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Vitamin D even improves the health of people with diabetes.

What's he worried about? That you sit too long at your computer, hand-held game or TV or have someone else run your errands. What's the solution? Do things you enjoy and aim to increase your activities. Swim, walk (watch how well and how fast a pair of good sneakers trim your belly!), take the stairs (whoa - that will improve your cardiovascular health. Your heart, lungs and veins will thank you!).

Friday, August 8, 2008

I've received a surprising response to the affirmations I read aloud at my public appearance the other night. The audience LOVED them! People have been calling or stopping me on the sidewalk, asking me for their own personal copies of the affirmations I'd shared with them that night.

They're an outgrowth of the Spiritual Healing Techniques work that I do, and printed on lovely stationery paper. The man who certified me as an SH practitioner owns a copy of them (he requested a copy ages ago).

One of my friends, author and therapist Liliane Ritchie wrote a book entitled "Connecting with G*D." It portrays an exercise I heartily advocate: writing letters to and from The One Above. Far from an ego-driven or imaginary set-up, a sincere effort to communicate with our Creator can be quite soothing. The letters become affirmations of your life, validation for the value of your presence in the world. And gosh, a highly respected therapist (she's one of many) advocates this activity!

You can write to GOD, too. Step back a bit, and let the words flow from Above. He loves you.

We can lose our ability to detect smells from disease, injury and even from repeated sinus infections.

Anosmia is the medical term for the loss of a sense of smell. In Hebrew it's called tat'ranoot. But no matter which language you speak, that loss messes up your ability to enjoy food and to smell life-saving warnings such as leaking gas from defective appliances.

“A sense of smell in good working order is essential to our quality of life,” says sinusitis expert Andrew Lane, M.D.

What's Dr. Lane doing about the problem? He's testing genetically altered mice with inflamed nasal tissue to understand how the problem can be cured. “And because we can turn on and off the inflammation in these mice, we really can mimic how the most overlooked and very disabling aspect of sinusitis, the loss of smell, or anosmia, plays out in people,” says Lane, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

New therapies are needed, he says, as an alternative to long-term steroids, which block the inflammatory chemical pathway but also have debilitating side effects, including loss of bone density, cataracts in the eye and weight gain.

The good news, Dr. Lane explains, is that when researchers stopped the drug-induced sinusitis, olfactory nerve cells rebounded and grew back within a couple of weeks, “proving that what we have is a mouse with reversible olfactory loss due to inflammation, which should speed up our learning more about the disease and testing new therapies. Ultimately, we hope to develop treatments that allow the sense of smell to recover, even in the presence of a hostile inflammatory environment due to sinusitis.”

As a woman with a decades-long history of sinus infections, I can clue you in to a more charming "reversible olfactory loss " reality than the story above. My organic foods vegetarian diet with lots of pure water, simple juices and organic tea have left me Sinus Infection-free for a few years now! None of the antibiotics I'd taken in the past had ever worked for me. WOW my nose was sore and so was I!

Now I'll share a secret: I lost my sense of tast and smell in that emergency life-saving brain surgery of 2005. But, ah, my neurosurgeon is flabbergasted that, these days, I can detect scents no matter how subtle they may be!

Why is he so perplexed? Because my age and surgical history indicate that I shouldn't be able to taste anything accurately, nor should I be able to differentiate herbs, flowers and other light scents (let alone the regular smells of daily life) with a sniff.

Trust me, my kitchen garbage can never fills to the top because I dislike the odor of day-old fruit and vegetable scraps.

Learn to heal your sinuses as I healed mine while recovering from brain surgery of all things! No steroids necessary, and you won't need a doctor.

READIt's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge.

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Check out the "Comments" for the August 5 update about Postpartum Depression. Tiffani made my day when she let me know that my efforts are helping still another group of people with medical challenges and crises: pregnant and new moms plus their families!

Here's more good news about pregnancy from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK):

Pregnancy is a time of great excitement and anticipation. It also can be a time of anxiety, especially for women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Pregnancy in women who have diabetes is automatically considered high-risk. But a new, easy-to-read booklet has information to help women with diabetes experience safe, healthy pregnancies.

You can get the illustrated "For Women with Diabetes: Your Guide to Pregnancy" 44-page booklet with information about checking and controlling blood glucose -- also called blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthy diet, staying physically active and taking tests and diabetes medications during pregnancy.

The importance of planning for pregnancy and getting blood glucose levels under control before pregnancy to decrease the risk of birth defects associated with diabetes is emphasized. Logs for recording daily blood glucose and ketone levels, food intake and physical activity are included.

Produced by the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health, the new booklet is available at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pregnancy.

A Spanish-language version of the booklet will be available soon. Order a free copy at http://www.catalog.niddk.nih.gov/. Copies also can be ordered by calling the Clearinghouse at 1-800-860-8747 or writing to the NDIC at 1 Information Way, Bethesda MD 20892-3560.

The Clearinghouse also has an easy-to-read booklet about gestational diabetes and many other resources about diabetes in English and Spanish. The A-to-Z list of topics and titles at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/a-z.asp lists these resources in alphabetical order.

All NDIC publications are available free of charge.

Here's another tactic for managing diabetes with pregnancy SIMPLY - with your hands and voice:

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

One of my book's admirers and a fan of my public speaking style, Gila Kornblum, exclaimed "Thank you for your beautiful talk. How very entertaining and inspiring!" after I spoke last night at Jo's Club, a gym and health club in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel. It was an overflow, standing-room only crowd.

Embracing Life - A Journey into Healing

Words of Chizzuk from 2 Inspirational Women in Our Community

SUSIE ROSENFELD - A breast cancer survivor and highly-sought-after instructor of Yoga, will be sharing words of Chizzuk about her path back to normal life in Eretz Yisrael after her 2-year struggle with the disease.

YOCHEVED GOLANI - Author, journalist, Self-Help coach, and the survivor of multiple life-threatening medical issues, will share some of her techniques to help cope with medical challenges. You can also pick up a reduced-price copy of Yocheved's highly-acclaimed book, "It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge."

The event should last for an hour, and will include time for questions and answers.

This Tuesday night at 8:30 at Jo's Club Jo's Club is located in the RBS A shopping center,right next to our good friends Merkaz Rakefet.

The event lasted well over that allotted hour as women competed to buy copies of my book before supplies ran out.Who was in the audience? The adult children of the professor (a.k.a. the head of the mental health institute) who certified me as a skilled counselor. People from all walks of life, many of whom want me to speak in forums where others can also attend my presentation. Several people were almost rolling in the aisles with laughter last night. Yes, I am one funny chick when I reflect on my medical experiences and astonishing survival despite it all. Book me today to speak in your community. Contact me at giveretgolani@gmail.comBefore I sign off today, I want to thank Suzy Rosenfeld, an inspirational speaker and friend who shared the spotlight with me last night. Suzy lives the life-saving principles that I advocate on this blog and in my book.

Folks, optimism saves lives. Read my book to learn how. CLICK HERE to buy a copy (in Israel, you can get my book in Jerusalem's Pomeranz Bookstore on Rechov Beeri 5, near MASHBIR). And be sure to have me speak in your community ;^ )To your good health and growing sense of humor,

Yocheved GolaniAuthor, Journalist, Self-Help Coach

Giveret Golani Self-Help CoachingCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

READ highly acclaimed It's My Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To: A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge. The Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research and Information calls it "Recommended Reading."

CLICK THIS HOTLINK to hear me speak about my book at Rick Magder's "Off the Beaten Path" radio show.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

If you're a woman who has suffered with depression after giving birth, you probably felt much worse after acquaintances asked "But how can you be sad with the new blessing in your life? Such a cute, helpless baby..."If you've ever made such a remark to a woman depressed after bringing new life into the world, please don't say it again. Ever.

Postpartum Depression strikes no matter how the baby looks and it doesn't care what you think, either. The main concern here is getting Mama to be happy again. And she has a BIG struggle ahead of her.

Let's turn this sad phenomenon into a better situation. Do Momma and baby (and maybe the rest of the family) a favor: help out in practical ways.

Babysit so that Mom can get some quality sleep.

Sit down and share a nutricious meal with her (she might not be eating well due to the depression).

Put in a load of laundry, then fold it and put things away as Mom directs your helpful efforts.

Make sure there are enough diapers in the house, that other children are bathed, fed, and tended to with games and stories.

Your help can be very soothing. Keep up a friendly face and do not scold a new mother for experiencing extreme sadness when you think it is time for her to be happy. She's not quite in control of her emotions. And nobody ever takes orders to change their moods. Emotions just don't work that way.

PD is physically exhausting. The affected woman has a hard time with motivation as well as with a lack of energy to fulfill her responsibilities.

If the situation seems bleak, getting worse over time, see if you can coax Mom (and Dad) into getting some counseling. The GOOD NEWS is that a competent therapist can help to improve the situation. As a matter of fact, therapy can help to PREVENT things from getting worse. Suggest it in a friendly way. No threats, no dire warning, just warm, reassuring concern for the woman's welfare is what's called for.

Here's more good news about PD: Part of the Postpartum Depression problem is chemical and might soon be curable. Scientists at the National Institutes of Health believe they've identified the culprit, BUT they haven't figured out why Postpartum Depression affects some women and not others. Researchers are seeking cures for the problem. They're even seeking preventatives! CLICK HERE for details.

The other part of the problem could be that the woman is overwhelmed with new responsibilites and nobody is helping her as necessary. Practical assistance and a nonjudgmental attitude from you can go a l-o-o-o-ng way to curing Mom from her depression. She'll feel hopeful, grateful, relieved, and, well, you get the idea.

Mom, you go right ahead and delegate responsibilities to friends and family who probably want to help you. Let them.

If your family members (especially Dad) don't help you, consider getting a therapist who can suggest solutions to the problem. Not all men understand the strain of caring for a helpless infant who keeps irregular hours and can't do anything on his/her own except soil diapers, eat and cry.

Read my book for ideas about how to beat the Baby Blues. The mental health strategies in It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To can help to improve almost any stressful situation.

To your good health, and that of the new baby,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Being ill is challenging to the spirit, let alone to the body. Coping with that stress is preferable to being destroyed by it.

It takes some creative thinking to cope with stress. The same old thought patterns you've used before just won't work under the new conditions you're facing.

My book and blog are filled with content showing you how to think creatively. Humor usually helps creativity to bloom, so I offer heaping helpings of humor whenever I can. Today I'm sharing a clever and quite humorous video with you. It demonstrates some of the wonderful places that you and your mind can go by "thinking out of the box" - in this case, out of the Origami Box.

Let me know how you respond to the very last sentence in this amusing video:

Read my book to learn some starting points for your creative efforts at coping with a medical crisis. CLICK HERE to buy your copy today!

Several months ago, the Musella Foundation for Brain Tumor Research declared It’s MY Crisis and I'll Cry if I Need To to be “Recommended Reading.” You can vote for It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To on the Musella site daily. Once you’ve read It’s MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To, vote for it at http://www.virtualtrials.com/books.cfmI hope you'll choose a 9 or a 10.

To your good health,

Yojeved GolaniCoping with a Medical Crisis?Make the Changes You Need in Your Life

Friday, August 1, 2008

It's been a big week for medical accomplishments and related announcements. Dr. Alessio Fasano, a gastroenterologist who directs the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland has learned that Celiac Disease might be an auto-immune disease, in which the human body literally attacks itself. The solution to the problem might soon be found in a pill

Dr. Fasano is conducting Phase 2 clinical trials of a celiac disease drug called larazotide acetate. He hopes it can end much suffering.

Maryland researchers have identified a key receptor in the intestine that can trigger celiac disease, and they hope their findings can be applied to other autoimmune disorders, such as Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis.Celiac disease is a digestive disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People with the condition cannot process a protein called gluten - most commonly found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley, but also found in medicines and vitamins.

Common in the general population, celiac disease affects an estimated 2 million Americans, or one out of 133 people, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.In this month's issue of Gastroenterology, University of Maryland scientists wrote that gliadin, the toxic component of gluten for celiac patients, binds to an intestinal receptor called CXCR3. The receptor then releases the protein zonulin, which makes the intestine more permeable.

"We know a lot about celiac disease, but we never understood the question of how the protein gains access in the intestine," said Dr. Alessio Fasano, a gastroenterologist who directs the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland and lead author of the study."Further study is needed, but this could allow us to intervene so that less zonulin is released, which may prevent the immune response altogether."

In healthy people, the intestine is permeable only for short periods. But in celiac patients, the effect is longer-term, which may cause a variety of health complications. Eventually, the immune system responds by ...

No matter where you live or how young/old you are, this book teaches you how to calm down plus how to minimize, even end, the confusion and chaos of illness.

Read the Global Resources section to learn of cost-cutting organizations willing to pay part or all of your specific medical expenses. EMPOWER Yourself helps you to get your grin back despite illness or disability.

Those worldwide organizations are willing to pay for part or all of an applicant's medical care, medication, medical appliances, and other medical needs. The coverage applies to medical, disability plus mental health care.

Need air transport to a medical site? Covered.

Latinos with liver disease? Covered.

Can't afford necessary exams and hospital stays? Covered.

Need a modest hospital gown so your buttocks aren't on display for everyone to see? Covered.

Learn how to communicate more effectively with medical professionals on pages 55 - 58.

Make your needs clear to healthcare pros, family and friends – including annoying visitors! Pages 59 & 66-69 let you know what to do. Be sure to read the part entitled "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" aloud to them.

Limited somehow by your medical situation? You'll be stronger – perhaps wealthier - after learning what to tell (and when) to potential employers in Chapter 12, "Employment with a Disability."

Find out how to lower your costs in the Global Resources section at the back of the book.

About Me and The Books I Wrote to Help YOU

My name is Yocheved Golani. A former Health Information Management professional certified in Counseling Skills and Spiritual Chaplaincy, I'm repairing the "Patients are Clueless and Powerless" status quo of medical care. The Internet isn't enough for finding medical information to save or improve your life. You need facts, not rumors or false leads.
It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge makes urgently needed information immediately available to you. Beautifully designed and simple to use, E-book or paperback It's MY Crisis! EMPOWERS you to reduce your stress and medical costs.
Spiritual, inspirational, endorsed by medical & mental health professionals, It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To lets you laugh again with effective tips for surviving your critics & your situation. Save time & money with contact information for meeting medical needs with low-cost and free health care options at the back of the book. EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge today!
Buy YOUR copy or a loved one's TODAY!

INSPIRING SPEAKER... DYNAMIC WRITER...

It's My Crisis and I'll Cry if I Need To offers practical, powerful, and creative tools to empower anyone undergoing a medical crisis. Learn what to say to unpleasant people (relatives and medical staff included), and how to get them on your side!

"It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge" teaches you what to say if people make fun of you for crying in fear or shame at your diagnosis, and what to do if people behave rudely to you in the hospital.

The E-book or paperback hold lots of fun things to do for feeling better about yourself. Tips on how to organize your suitcase and self for going to the hospital and even for keeping your medical and insurance papers can keep you worry-free.

SAVE MONEY! The back of the book tells you how to get freeor low-cost First Quality Medical Care, Medication, Medical Appliances, Medical Transport and MORE.

EMPOWER Yourself validates your need to cry over your medical crisis then EMPOWERS you to cope with it. Share what you learn with friends, loved ones, & your medical team. Make yourself happier by reading this book.

The first edition was a hit! It's been #2 on the Musella site since Nov. 2 2008! The Updated Edition is going strong.

Reviews of "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To"

I loved your book! I gave it to many friends of mine. Arlene Abrams of Trixie & Janewww.trixieandjane.com

"I received EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge one week after I suffered my own medical crisis and found it very helpful. [It] will be of great benefit both in dealing with the fragile emotional health of sick patients and the stressful situation of the patient's caregiver… [with] very practical comprehensive information for dealing with a health-related crisis that is so seldom available to someone who is ill and preoccupied with their own troubles.

Ill people are often compromised and often don't know where to look for guidance. Putting so much useful information at their fingertips will help them navigate the difficulties of a confusing medical system. Combined with [the author's] encouragement to never give up hope, the book will be of great aid to anyone with a sudden serious medical emergency." - Daniel Eisenberg, MD, Department of Radiology at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA; Assistant Professor of Diagnostic Imaging at Thomas Jefferson University School of Medicine; Medical Ethicisthttp://www.daneisenberg.com/

"… a powerful 'can-do' message to those most in need of it …It could save your life or the life of your loved one. This combination of positive attitude and positive action makes this guide useful and complete. Its lessons extend far beyond the medical sphere to life challenges whatever they may be: lessons we can't afford to ignore." – Life Coach Y. Ives, England

“I’ve given Yocheved’s book to therapists and to several patients on chemotherapy. They found it very helpful.” - Abraham J. Twerski, M.D., Gateways Addiction Rehabilitation Founder and Therapist

"... This life-saving workbook will help you direct your thoughts in positive, constructive ways that will make a big difference for you and your loved one. It's a lantern in a dark night from someone who's 'been there, done that.' And if you follow its suggestions, you'll likely come through the crisis better, not bitter. It's filled with wonderful ideas." Robin L. Silverman, Fullistic Living(TM) Fortune 500 Motivational Speaker

"Through her inspiring honesty, courage and strength, Yocheved shows us how the importance of a positive attitude and will to live are both essential to healing and recovery through all of life's challenges." - D. Topolosky, Psychologist

"... The inspiration and determination of this woman through positive reinforcement and amazing faith has made her a medical miracle and a wonderful example to us all. It's a must read for all!" - Renee Crowell

"… this insightful and uplifting book guides us to confront illness in a multi-modal fashion... using all resources at our disposal—humor, creating a positive emotional environment, self-nurturing, friends, outside resources, medical and alternative practitioners—to fight illness.

"Yocheved Golani gives excellent advice on how we can build and preserve good morale, get help when we need it, stay organized with appointments, medication, bills, etc., prepare for hospitalization, focus on our blessings and healing.… this book gives Resources... contact information about organizations and treatment centers that deal with specific medical problems... that most people wouldn't know how to find, including compassionate clowns, services for blind people, where to get free medical care and medications, and where to enroll in clinical trials.

"A truly amazing and uplifting story - the book, is a must have manual, not only if you're going through a crisis - but gives strength to everyone, seeing how 1 woman, is so brave and so clear about where her Blessings come from - Hashem. Buy the book, read it, and buy it for a friend, you'll be glad you did. " - SH

IT'S HARD TO COPE The pressure's on. We want to be heroes at saving our own lives, or somebody else wants us to be heroic. [But] we feel like quitting this scary situation. As the mental pressure builds, our minds sort of explode. We might start asking "Why is this happening to me?" We don't ask that question because we necessarily want answers… The question is really about accusing GOD of having made a mistake- a BIG mistake. We don't believe we deserve the troubles and pain that we're in... it can make a suffering person feel infuriated. That can lead to a sense of guilt. [You need to realize that] acceptance is a process. Normal people need time to come to grips with their medical crisis… Asking "Why ME?" [could mean] "How can I get out of this situation?" … What if you're afraid that you DESERVE this medical crisis? I have two user-friendly responses to those questions…

Hire Me to Speak for YOUR Organization:

AUDIENCE COMMENTS"Rich in resources for healing. Cutting-edge information and great prose." Emcee

"... This comprehensive book helps individuals navigate the medical system... when dealing with medical crises for oneself or for a family member. There is an abundance of resources, including special doctors, listed toward the end of the book." - Laurie Sussman"I just heard you on the radio. I can honestly say that you were amazing and very inspiring." - Sara Dina GolemboNOVEMBER 11 2007 : "I had the privilege of having Yocheved speak [in my] home yesterday. If you have not had the opportunity to hear her amazing story and read her new book, you are truly missing out. It is a life-changing experience. One that I am very grateful to have had... Do yourself a favor and let Yocheved's experience change your life!" Renee Crowell

DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION SERVE THE NEEDS OF ILL PEOPLE? Need a speaker? INVITE ME to speak about Coping with Illness techniques for a crowd.

Get Your Grin Back with Giveret Golani Self-Help Coaching!

Energize! Organize! Achieve your goals.A patient-empowering coach, I can help you to cope with the stresses of illness and more. Get your grin back with Giveret Golani Self-Help Coaching.

I provide Self-Help Coaching services by phone or E-mail and face-to-face.

Hire Me to help you to tame the bureaucratic chaos, rollercoaster emotions and other stresses associated with illness.To your coping successes,Yocheved Golani Author, Self-Help Coach

My SELF-HELP COACHING Services

MEETING GOALS. PLANNING STRATEGIES.

TIME and ORGANIZATION MANAGEMENT.

IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH .

COPING with EMOTIONAL and PHYSICAL STRESS.

Conventional therapy focuses on the past. My Self-Help Coaching focuses on your present and more importantly, on your future!

We'll work together to identify and to build on your existing strengths. You can use ensuing insights into achieving productive goals.

Giveret Golani Self Help Coaching is based on using the TOOLS that work for an individual client. The GOALS of Giveret Golani Life Coaching are to assist you in making desired transitions in your personal lives, enabling you to increase your self-esteem and to make more and ever-greater accomplishments. We'll focus on your future and on getting better results than you've experienced in the past.

Listen to how a recent client praised my work: "...I just wanted to let people know about a great resource I discovered. She does life / self-actualization coaching, among many other things. She's written several books, please take a look at the links below. She has very deep wisdom from life experience, and a great deal of practical sense. She specializes in coping with serious illness, but she works with all kinds of issues, as well. I had a great session with her today where she took a heap of ungrounded aspirations (eg., I want to write / get my ideas out into the world....somehow) and, in an hour and a half, turned them into a viable,workable action plan I could get started on and feel good about right away (a timeline and lots of practical sugestions to focus my energy on an attainable goal..."

You won't get lectures from me about what to do with your life. We'll explore that topic together! I'll listen to the goals you want to reach, ask lots of clarifying questions, then work with you to achieve your goals. You set the pace, I help you to keep going and to reach your destination.

The information and ideas in my Self Help Coaching work, in this blog and in my book are not intended to replace personal advice from licensed physicians, and they do not constitute a doctor-patient or therapist-client relationship. Information in the above-mentioned resources is provided for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, nor a substitute for diagnosing or treating an emotional, mental, or medical condition. You need to consult board certified medical and mental health professionals in all matters relating to your health, and for suspected symptoms of illness requiring diagnosis or medical attention (including simple first aid). For spiritual matters, consult sensibly behaved clergy who demonstrate complete respect for your wellbeing. Your actions, based on information culled from my resource materials, are at your own responsibility and discretion. Yocheved Golani and Booklocker.com are not liable for any direct or indirect claim, loss or damage resulting from use of my book or blog and/or any media materials including web site(s) and blogs linked to/from it.

"This has such powerful life changing tools that it is amazing that it fits in one book. Really powerful insights that can improve so many situations even without an illness in the family. Great Work! A must read for anybody who really wants a better life!" Robert Hunds Oct 1 2009 (he found it via the flipping BookBuzzr below. It appears on my E-mail)

"I read thru most of Yocheved Golani's book. Of course I found it almost personalized so I treat it as a resource guide.I will undoubdedly re-read after I get an overview but it is a great read and she is obviously quite a woman." - James Owen (Tzadok Osher) Herlands

"... a helpful, informative text that can bring hope, help and humor to someone experiencing a medical crisis." - Dr. Lisa Aiken, Psychologist

"INSPIRATIONAL!!!" - R. Grund

"It is good. I added it as a recommended book to our book list." - Al Musella, The Musella Foundation For Brain Tumor Research & Information

Share the book with friends and loved ones, medical and mental health professionals, or read it alone. Start relaxing with the very first page. It’s MY Crisis!can solve or prevent MANY problems for you or your loved ones.

"The workbook is very good! We're glad we had you speak for our clients and supporters." Karen Traub, co-founder Jewish Caring Network

“Friends of ours have a young child recently diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy (currently a terminal diagnosis). I assisted them with [It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry if I Need To]... It enabled them to face their challenge with strength.” Psychotherapist Jonathan Dove, UK

"It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To is very interesting and useful. It can help people with emotional difficulties. I have ALS disease, and I found much of Yocheved's advice useful. I have implemented it in my life. I recommend that everyone, including healthy people, read this book in order to increase the quality of their lives." Dr. Rahamim Melamed-Cohen, Former National Supervisor of Educational Programming for Israel's Department of Education - Jerusalem, Israel

"... Yocheved Golani has created a wonderful resource for those going through... life crises. Written with hopefulness, optimism... Yocheved’s book inspires and guides us to meet our own challenges with strength, determination, resilience, and faith." Shiela Strauss, Ph.D., Public Health Researcher USA

Benefit from the positive impact of the book’s humor, insight, can-do exercises and cost-cutting medical information.

The FIRST EDITION of It's MY Crisis! And I’ll Cry if I Need To truly is "A Life Book that Helps You to Dry Your Tears and to Cope with a Medical Challenge."

Get itfrom Barnes & Noble ! Free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Buy copies for family and friends!

Order DIRECTLY from the PUBLISHER, Booklocker, for faster delivery. For $13.95 plus shipping, you can ease your mind and cope better with a medical crisis!